Adjustable drive means for coin gauging mechanism



H. B. MILLER Get. 11, 1955 ADJUSTABLE DRIVE MEANS FOR COIN GAUGINGMECHANISM Filed March 16, 1951 INVENTOR. Harry B. Ma /er ATTORNEYS-United States Patent ADJUSTABLE DRIVE MEANS FOR COIN GAUGING MECHANISMHarry B. Miller, Warwick, R. L, assignor to Max L. Grant, Providence, R.I.

Application March 16, 1951, Serial No. 215,951 2 Claims. (Cl. 133-8)This invention pertains to fare collecting and registering apparatus ofthe type wherein coins are presented one by one to diameter-gaugingmeans (thereby to determine the denomination of the coin) by a rotorhaving peripheral pockets each designed to receive one coin and which isdriven intermittently step-by-step thereby to bring coins one by oneinto the field of action of a movable gauging fingerand to hold the coinwhile it is being gauged, the present invention relating more especiallyto improved means for driving the rotor and gauging finger in accuratelytimed relation. Since the diameters of coins of certain denominationsvary but little, the gauging means must be sensitive to very slightdifferences in diameter. Thus, when the coin is held by the rotor wheelwhile a gauging finger moves radially of the rotor to engage the outeredge of the coin thus held, it is highlyimportant that the pocket of therotor which holds the coin which is being gauged be positioned veryaccurately with respect to the gauging finger during the gaugingoperation.

The present invention has for its principal object an improvement in thedriving mechanism which actuates the gauging finger and rotor whereby itis made possible accurately to adjust the rotor relatively to thedriving mechanism so as to assure proper location of the coin during thegauging operation. A further object is to provide adjustable connectionsbetween the rotor shaft and means for turning it, thereby to permit therotor to be turned and adjusted relatively to the driving means, and inparticular to adjust it relatively to the drive means for the gaugingfinger. A further object is to provide means whereby a rotor, drivenintermittently by means of a Geneva gearing, may be adjusted relativelyto the driven element of the Geneva gearing. A further object is toprovide adjustable drive connections for the rotor which is readilyaccessible for adjustment of the parts. Other and further objects andadvantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following moredetailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawingswherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section on the axis of thedrive shaft of the coin-positioning rotor of apparatus of the classdescribed, and embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the rotor, showing theassociated coin-gauging finger in gauging position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section showing drive mechanism foractuating the gauging finger and the rotor in timed relation;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic rear elevation of one of the elements of theadjustable drive connections for the rotor; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the gauging finger inthe inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a portion of theframe of fare-collecting and registering apparatus of the type to whichthe present invention relates. This frame supports a downwardly andforwardly inclining plate P down which the coins slide after beingdeposited in a suitable hopper (not shown) the downwardly mov- "ice ingcoins being directed by guide means (not shown) to a position such thateach individual coin will be received in one of the pockets 12 of arotor 11 which overlies the lower portion of the plate P. This rotor 11has accurately spaced peripheral pockets 12 separated by radial arms T,each pocket being of a circumferential width to receive coins of any ofthe denominations for which the apparatus is designed and each pockethaving an inner wall 12 (Fig. 5) which is a circular arc concentric withthe axis of the rotor. At a point above the upper edge of the rotor, theplate P has a window W through which projects a movable gauging finger45. This finger has an upwardly concave, arcuate lower surface 46 whosecenter of curva' ture is in the vertical axial plane O--O of the shaft14 of the rotor, the arc of curvature of the surface of thecoincontacting surface 46 being somewhat larger than that of the largestcoin to be gauged.

The gauging finger 45 is moved up and down with the transverse midpointof the finger moving in the vertical axial plane O-O of the rotor shaft.It is moved by connections not shown, actuated by a cam C (Fig. 3) fixedto the drive shaft S of the machine. Also fixed on this drive shaft S isthe driver element F. of at Geneva gearing G, the driven element or starwheel 43 of the Geneva gearing being fixed to a horizontal shaft 37(Fig. 3) which turns in bearings 33 and 39 (Fig. 1) carried by themachine frame.

The rotor 11 is fixed by splined connections 15 to the forward end ofthe rotor shaft 14 which turns in bearings 19 and 2t and whose axis isperpendicular to the plane of the coin-guiding plate P. Rearwardly ofthe bearing 20, the shaft 14 is reduced in diameter to provide ashoulder 17 and at its rear end the shaft is further reduced in diameterand screw threaded at 18 for the reception of a nut 33.

The shaft 14 is turned intermittently by the Geneva gearing so thatafter receiving a coin in one of its pockets, for example the pocket 12(Fig. 2) the rotor will be turned just far enough to bring the center ofthis pocket into the vertical plane O-O of the rotor shaft, therebypositioning the coin K, contained in the pocket, directly beneath thegauging finger 45, the latter then being moved downwardly by the driveconnections so that its concave under surface 46 engages the coin at theupper portion of the latter. Motion is transmitted from the Genevagearing to the shaft 14 by means of a bevel pinion 36 fixed to the shaft37 which carries the star wheel 43. The pinion meshes with a bevel gear22, having a hub 25 which is mounted on the rear portion of the shaft.14, the forward end of the hub contacting the shoulder 17 of the shaft.The gear 22 is free to turn on the shaft except for the adjustableconnecting means now to be described.

Mounted on the shaft 14 to the rear of the gear 22 is a sleeve 28 whichis splined or keyed to the shaft so as to turn with the shaft withoutslippage. This sleeve 28 has a radial flange 24, preferably integralwith the sleeve, which lies immediately to the rear of the rear face ofthe gear 22. The opposed faces of the gear 22 and flange 24 are finishedfor frictional contact one with the other. Rearwardly of the flange 24there is arranged an annulus 27 having a central opening X (Fig. 4) of adiameter somewhat larger than the external diameter of the sleeve 28 andhaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 30 which receiveclamping screws 31 which have threaded engagement with internallythreaded openings 23 in the gear 22. By tightening these screws 31 thegear 22 may be drawn firmly into contact with the flange 24 so that theflange is constrained to partake of the rotation of the gear. The sleeve28 is secured against axial movement on the shaft by means of the nut33, preferably with a lock washer 31' interposed between it and the rearedge of the sleeve 26.

Preferably a collar 34, secured to the shaft 14 by a pin 35 is locatedat the forward end of the bearing 20, thereby to prevent axial movementof the shaft 14 in its bearings.

Rotation of the pinion 36 by the Geneva gearing intermittently turns thegear 22, and since the gear 22 is normally clamped to the flange 24,such rotation of the gear 22 likewise turns the shaft 14.

In adjusting the machine preparatory to its operation and while thedrive shaft S is stationary, the screws 31 are loosened, thus leavingthe gear 22 free on the rotor shaft 14. In this condition of the partsthe rotor may be turned by hand and so adjusted relatively to theposition of the parts which determines the downward movement of thegauging finger 45 that as the finger starts to move down, thecoin-holding pocket of the rotor will come to rest with its center oftransverse width exactly in the vertical plane of the axis of the rotor.This insures the gauging of the diameter of the coin between the arcuatesurface 12 of the rotor and the concave surface 46 of the gaugingfinger. After having adjusted the rotor to insure this relativearrangement of the parts, the screws 31 are tightened, thus rigidlysecuring the gear 22 to the flange 24. In the orderly operation of themachine, the several pockets of the rotor will be brought one after theother into proper relation to the gauging finger and will dwell in thisposition while the gauging operation is taking place.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been illustrated byway of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadlyinclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a multiple coin fare collecting and registering apparatus whereindeposited coins slide down an inclined plate while leaning against saidplate, a drive shaft, a rotor overlying and in substantial contact withthat surface of the plate down which the coins slide and which is fixedto a shaft whose axis is perpendicular to the plate, the plate having awindow adjacent to the peripheral edge of the rotor, the latter havingcircumferentially spaced, peripherally open, coin receiving pockets, agauging ele ment within said window in the plate and which is movabletoward and from the periphery of the rotor, the gauging element having aconcave coin-contacting edge whose centerof curvature moves in a radialplane of the rotor, each rotor pocket being of a circumferential widthsuflicient to accommodate a coin of the greatest diameter which is to beregistered, each coin sliding down the plate, while in the plane of therotor, and entering edgewise into a rotor pocket, each pocket having aconvexly curved bottom whose center of curvature is in a radial plane ofthe rotor, drive connections actuable by the drive shaft, normallyoperative to move the gauging element and the rotor intermittently intimed relation such that the rotor stops while the gauging element movesradially inward toward the center of the rotor to contact its curvededge with a coin in a rotor pocket, in combination, means whereby therotor may be turned manually while the drive shaft is stationary forinitially adjusting a selected rotor pocket so that its center ofwidth-is in the same radial plane as that in which the center ofcurvature of the coin-contacting edge of the gauging element is located.

2. In multiple coin fare collecting apparatus of the kind having aninclined plate down which coins slide while leaning against the plate, arotor overlying and in substantial contact with the plate and which isfixed to a shaft whose axis is perpendicular to the plate, the shaftextending rearwardly through an opening in the plate, the rotor havingspaced, peripherally open coin receiving pockets separated by rigidradial arms, each pocket being of a circumferential width suflicient toreceive a coin of the largest diameter which is to be collected, thecoins sliding down the plate while lying in the plane of the rotor andmoving edgewise into the rotor pocket, the inclined plate having awindow therein spaced from the highest point of the edge of the rotorand a gauging element projecting through the window and overlying theedge of the rotor, the gauging element being movable toward and from theedge of the rotor with the center point of its width moving along aradius of the rotor, the gauging element having a downwardly concavecoin contacting surface whose radius exceeds that of the largest coin tobe gauged and whose center of curvature is in the vertical plane of theaxis of the rotor shaft, in combination, means for moving the gaugingelement and rotor in accurately timed relation comprising a shaft havingfixed thereon a cam which actuates connections whereby the gaugingelement is moved radially toward and from the edge of the rotor, aGeneva gearing whose drive element is fixed to said last named shaft, athird shaft, to which the driven element of the Geneva gearing is fixed,a pinion on said third shaft, a gear which is loosely mounted on therotor shaft at a point rearwardly of said inclined plate, said gearalways meshing with the pinion, a sleeve splined on the rotor shaft forrotation therewith, said sleeve having a radial flange, one face ofwhich engages the face of the gear, an annulus loosely surrounding thesleeve and which engages the opposite face of the flange, and clampingmeans for drawing the gear and annulus toward each other therebynormally to hold the gear in driving relation to the flange so that theshaft is turned in time with the gear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,096,172 Johnson May 12, 1914 1,443,193 Phelps Ian. 23, 1923 1,691,408Palmer Nov. 13, 1928 1,947,456 Bock Feb. 20, 1934 2,307,957 ReynoldsJan. 12, 1943 2,390,012 Timm Nov. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 603,663 GreatBritain June 21, 1948

